Multi-level building construction including a combination pile and column



Get. 31,- 1967 Filed Aug. 6, 1964 T. C. BRUNS MULTI-LEVEL BUILDING CONSTRUCTION INCLUDIN A COMBINATION PILE AND COLUMN 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Lina a INIIIEIJTOR THQMAs C. Exam/5 ATTORNEY Oct 31, 1967 BR S 3,349,527

MULTI-LEVEL BUILDING CONSTRUCTION INCLUDING A COMBINATION PILE AND COLUMN Filed Aug. 6, 1964 I5 Sheets-Sheet 2 EJZE E INVENTOR T-m/ m 5 C Bra urvs ATTORNEY Oct. 31, 1967 T. c. BRUNS 3,349,527

MULTI-LEVEL BUILDING CONSTRUCTION INCLUDING A COMBINATION PILE AND COLUMN Filed Aug., 6, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR THOMAS C. Bea/vs ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,349,527 MULTI-LEVEL BUILDING CONSTRUCTION INCLUDING A COMBINATION PILE AND COLUMN Thomas C. Bruns, New Orleans, La., ass'ignor to Brunspile Corporation, New Orleans, La., a corporation of Louisiana Filed Aug. 6, 1964, Ser. No. 387,828

7 Claims. (Cl. 52-169) This invention relates to a building construction.

In ceitain sections of the country, piles are driven to support buildinngs and because of the difliculty of reaching bedrock with the piles, it is now the common practice to drive successive pile sections into the ground, for example, sectional piles of the type shown in my Patent No, 2,983,104, granted May 9, 1961. Usually the piles are driven in groups of three or four, spaced from each other, and the uppermost pile section is driven into an excavation in which footings are to be formed. It is necessary to excavate for the footing, build the forms for the fOOting, pour the concrete therein supported by the piling therebeneath, remove the forms, and back-fill the footing excavation. Reinforced concrete columns are then built, seated on each footing centrally thereof to distribute weight to the piles, and forms must be built for the columns and the concrete poured therein. The column forms must be removed, of course, after the columns have hardened.

All of the foregoing operations are very time-consuming and inexpensive, and it is an important object to eliminate much of the material and labor involved in the construction of a building by utilizing the supporting piles as the columns of the building.

A further object is to eliminate each foo-ting and the cluster of piles arranged therebeneath and to drive single piles, or pairs of piles, usually sectional, as deep in the ground as necessary and projecting upwardly therefrom to form the supporting columns for the building.

A further object is to provide a building supporting arrangement of the character referred to which lends itself readily to single or multi-story buildings and which possesses flexibility as to the types and means of connection with the piles forming the columns above the ground of beams, trusses, and other structural units for supporting the floors and roof of the building.

A further object is to provide such a structure which may employ piles formed of concrete or other material, and which may be sectional or unitary, depending upon the type and height of the building, and which lends itself readily to the connection with and supporting of beams or trusses of steel, pre-stressed concrete, etc.

A further object is to provide such a building structure wherein piles driven in spaced adjacent pairs may be connected to trusses arranged therebetween, or single piles may be connected at their sides to such trusses, or wherein some of the piles may be driven singly, for example, those between the corner-supporting piles, and to abut the bottom of a truss or beam to directly support the latter.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following description.

In the drawings I have shown several embodiments of the invention. In this showing FIGURE 1 is a side elevation showing a plurailty of supporting pile-columns in position with trusses secured thereto, a concrete slab and the earth therebeneath being shown in section;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation of the structure shown in FIGURE 1, parts being broken away;

3,349,527 Patented Oct. 31, 1967 FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view illustrating the connection between a pair of the piles and a truss therebeneath, parts being shown in elevation;

FIGURE 4 is a similar view showing means for connecting a truss against the side of a single pile;

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of a preferred pile and truss connecting means;

FIGURE 6 is a section on line 6-6 of FIGURE 1 showing the use of intermediate piles for directly supporting a floor truss;

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged fragmentary view showing a modified form of device for supporting a truss on a pile;

FIGURE 8 is a side elevation of FIGURE 7; and

FIGURE 9 is a detail sectional view On line 9-9 of FIGURE 8.

Referring to FIGURES 1 to 4, inclusive, it will be assumed that the combination piles and columns shown therein are formed of sectional pro-stressed concrete units, connectible to each other, for example as shown in my prior patent referred to above. Each pile-column is indicated as a whole by the numeral 10, and in FIG- URE 1 it may be assumed that connection between pile sections occur where the piles are broken away heneath the surface of the ground 11. It particularly will be noted that the piles are driven directly into the ground without having to excavate for footings and without the expensive complications connected therewith as re ferred to above. A floor slab 12 may be poured on the ground 11.

In FIGURE 2, the pile-columns are shown as being arranged in pairs uniformly spaced from each other from top to bottom to receive therebetween trusses 14 and 15, the trusses 14 being adapted to support a fioor slab generally indicated at 16, and the trusses 15 being arranged near the tops of the column units 10. The roof structure (not shown), may be supported directly by the upper ends of the columns 10 or by the trusses 15, or both. Parts of the building structure such as the floors, roof, Walls, and partitions, form no part of the present invention, the latter being concerned solely with the main supporting means for the building including the columns and trusses.

Any type of trusses or beams 14 and 15 may be employed, but in the interest of economy, ease of handling and adaptability to the present invention, it is preferred that pre-stressed concrete trusses or girders be employed. In FIGURES 3 and 4, the rods or cables 20 through which the members 14 and 15 are pro-stressed, when poured, are shown.

Any desired means may be employed for supporting the girders or trusses relative to t-he columns. A preferred way of doing this is shown in FIGURES 3, 4 and 5. In casting the trusses or girders, rectangular sleeves 22 are arranged in the mold, and similar rectangular sleeves 23 are arranged in the molds for the columns so that all of looking from the right the parts may be quite accurately placed. For example,

it is possible quite accurately to drive the piles vertically in soft ground and any slight deflection which occurs can be corrected by wedging between the columns or any other means. Similarly, the piles or columns may be accurately driven to align the sleeves 23, and when all of the columns or piles have been driven, a steel bar 24 is inserted through the sleeves 22 and 23, thus forming a solid support for each truss or girder.

It will be apparent that a building of any desired area or height, wit-hin reasonable limits, may be constructed in accordance with the present invention. In connection with higher buildings using sectional piles, additional sec- '3 3 tions above the ground will be used up to the desired building height. In FIGURE 1, there is shown a typical installation for a motel having a parking space 25 above the ground and below the single floor of the building. Pile-columns are arranged the proper distance apart along the front and rear of the building, and usually the span will not be so great that the girders 14 cannot carry the load with an ample factor of safety. Where substantial dead loads are to be supported on the floor of the building, for example, the floor slab 16, single piles 26 (FIG- URES 1 and 6) may be driven into the ground intermediate the front and rear pairs of piles with the upper end of the pile 26 abutting the bottom of the girder 14, placed in position and anchored to the piles or columns after the pile 26 has been driven.

The arrangement of piles in pairs as shown in FIGURE 2 is preferred where heavy loads are to be supported. Where lighter loads are to be carried, single piles may be used as shown in FIGURE 4 with each girder secured with respect to its supporting pile by means of the sleeves 22 and 23. In either case, it is preferred that the extremities of the supporting bars 24 be Welded as at 28 to the adjacent ends of the sleeves 22 and 23.

In FIGURE 2, connecting means for pile sections are employed as disclosed in my prior patent referred to above. Such connection includes sleeves 30 on the adjacent ends of the pile sections and a connecting sleeve 31 therebetween provided With an impact plate as referred to in my prior patent. Such connecting means may be utilized for supporting the trusses or girders, as shown in FIGURES 7, 8 and 9. The sleeve 31 may have welded thereto as at 32 a bracket 33 of the shape shown in FIG- URE 8 and supporting an end of a girder 14, for example, on a horizontal portion 34 of the bracket. This bracket may be provided with a lip 35 to restrain possible movement of the girder away from the pile or column 10, and the welding of the bracket in position is done between a vertical wall 36 of the bracket and the sleeve 31. To provide an adequate connection between the bracket and pile, the metal at the weld is built up as indicated at 32 in FIGURE 9.

Operation The location of the various piles or columns is determined in accordance with common practice. Where three or four piles were previously driven to support the footings, only one or two piles are driven according to the type of building and loads to be supported. No footings are required and accordingly, there are no forms to build and remove and no excavations to be made for the footings. Where sectional piles are employed, the first pile section is driven, guided vertically by the pile driver, and when the upper end of such section projects only a short distance above the ground, the next pile section is connected thereto and driven by a conventional pile driver. The depths to which the piles are driven will depend upon the type and weight of the buildings, as will be apparent. The piles are driven accurately, with their axes vertical, and they are driven to exactly locate the heights of the upper ends of the piles and the sleeves 23. After all of the piles have been driven, the trusses or girders are connected as stated above. The arrangement of pairs of piles or columns shown in FIGURES 2 and 3 are adapted to support tremendous loads, and fairly heavy buildings may be supported by the means shown in FIGURES 4, 7, 8 and 9.

Where a supporting column 26 is to be used as in FIGURES 1 and 6, such pile or column is driven to a predetermined height so that its upper end will abut the girder 14 when the latter is placed in position.

After the placing of all of the structural elements comprising the piles or columns and the trusses or girders, the remainder of the building can be proceeded with.

In accordance with prior practices referred to above, it requires a matter of two or three Weeks to erect the supporting structure for the building, whereas the elements shown in the drawings may be erected in a matter of two or more days, depending upon the size and height of the building. With the present invention, no excavations for footings are required, no time and expense is involved in excavating, building forms, pouring the footings, removing the forms, and back-filling the footings. It requires very little more time with the present construction to project the piles to the desired height than is required for driving piles to support footings, and accordingly, the work can be quickly accomplished at a fraction of the cost, and no building strength is sacrificed.

Any type of piling may be employed, but it is preferred that the sectional piles be pre-stressed for strength in proportion to weight and that they be made octagonal in cross-section to provide the greatest possible friction between the pile surfaces and the earth. The horizontal structural elements may be of wood or steel. It is preferred, however, that they be made of pre-stressed concrete since the members 14 and 15 of this material provide the strength of steel but are lighter, much more easily handled, and installed.

Where no cellar or basement is included in the building, the concrete floor slab suggested in FIGURE 1 may be poured directly on the ground. This may be the floor of a parking space 25, or it may be the first floor of the building, With the floor slab 16 constituting the second floor.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that a building constructed in accordance with the present invention may be framed up very rapidly and economically with the elimination of costly items and structural labor costs. In addition to the costly items eliminated, as referred to above, the present construction also eliminates reinforcing the footings, eliminates the cost of the footing concrete, and the costly reinforcing of the columns normally supported on the footings.

It is to be understood that the forms of the invention shown and described are to be taken as preferred examples of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of the parts may be made as do not depart from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a building construction a plurality of unitary piles driven into the ground and having their upper ends projecting continuously substantially above the ground to constitute supporting columns, and a plurality of structural elements directly connected to and extending between said columns at each of at least two vertically spaced levels.

2. In a building construction, a plurality of spaced piles driven into the ground and extending continuously substantially thereabove to constitute columns, a plurality of girders extending between said columns at each of at least two vertically spaced levels, and means for securing the girders to said columns, said columns and girders constituting the supporting frame structure for the building and said piles extending into the ground to form the sole supporting means for the building.

3. In a building construction, a plurality of spaced piles driven into the ground and extending continuously substantially thereabove to constitute columns, girders extending between spaced pairs of said columns and lying thereagainst at each of at least two vertically spaced levels, said piles being formed of concrete and having molded therein horizontal metallic sleeves, said girders having openings therethrough each aligned with one of said sleeves, and a bar projecting through each sleeve and the associated opening, said columns and said girders constituting the supporting structure for a building and said piles projecting into the ground a sufficient distance to form the sole means for supporting the load of the building.

4. In a building construction, a plurality of spaced piles driven into the ground and extending continuously substantially thereabove to constitute columns, girders extending between and secured to said columns at each of at least two vertically spaced levels substantially above the ground, and a pile driven into the ground in the vertical plane of one of said girders at the lower of said levels and having its upper end abutting the bottom of such girder between the columns supporting such girder.

5. In a building construction, a plurality of spaced pairs of piles driven into the ground extending con 10 tinuously substantially thereabove to constitute columns, girders extending between the columns of each pair of piles at each of at least two vertically spaced levels, the space between the columns of each pair corresponding to the Width of and receiving a girder, and supporting elements passing through both columns of each pair and through the girder therebetween.

6. A building construction according to claim 5 wherein said girders are formed of concrete with fiat vertical sides lying between the columns of each pair and contacting therewith.

7. In a building construction, a plurality of spaced piles driven into the ground and extending substantially thereabove to constitute columns, each pile being formed of aligned concrete sections having connecting means therebetween each of which includes a surrounding metallic sleeve, girders extending between said columns and lying thereagainst, the sleeves of said connecting means lying just beneath adjacent girders, and brackets engaging beneath and supporting said girders and each welded to the sleeve of one of said connecting means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 523,525 7/ 1894 "Cornell 52721 2,602,321 7/ 1952 Blair 52742 2,920,476 1/1960 Finfrock 52-169 X 2,943,366 7/1960 Sanford 52-169 X 2,983,104 5/1961 Bruns 61-56 FOREIGN PATENTS 467,791 8/ 1950 Canada.

912,170 12/1962 Great Britain.

301,716 12/ 1954 Switzerland.

OTHER REFERENCES Engineering News-Record, Aug, 10, 1944. Page 91 TAI. E61.

FRANK L. ABBOTT, Primary Examiner.

A. C. PERHAM, Assistant Examiner. 

3. IN A BUILDING CONSTRUCTION, A PLURALITY OF SPACED PLIES DRIVEN INTO THE GROUND AND EXTENDING CONTINUOUSLY SUBSTANTIALLY THEREABOVE TO CONSTITUTE COLUMNS, GIRDERS EXTENDING BETWEEN SPACED PAIRS OF SAID COLUMNS AND LYING THEREAGAINST AT EACH OF AT LEAST TWO VERTICALLY SPACED LEVELS, SAID PILES BEING FORMED OF CONCRETE AND HAVING MOLDED THEREIN HORIZONTAL METALLIC SLEEVES, SAID GIRDERS HAVING OPENINGS THERETHROUGH EACH ALIGNED WITH ONE OF SAID SLEEVES, AND A BAR PROJECTING THROUGH EACH SLEEVE AND THE ASSOCIATED OPENING, SAID COLUMNS AND SAID GIRDERS CONSTITUTING THE SUPPORTING STRUCTURE FOR A BUILDING AND SAID PILES PROJECTING INTO THE GROUND A SUFFICIENT DISTANCE TO FORM THE SOLE MEANS FOR SUPPORTING THE LOAD OF THE BUILDING. 